2008

Prospectives: Arturo Quintero

For the anniversary 100th issue of MultiLingual Computing magazine, its editors invited industry executives to outline their visions as to what's next - for their respective organizations and the industry.

In this special Prospectives section, Moravia's Chief Corporate Strategist Arturo Quintero shared his own perspectives on how the ideas - and the ideals - that lead to the founding of Moravia back in 1990 continue to shape our approach today, and how he sees the client needs evolving in the near and medium future. Full article.

Currency Exchange Fluctuation in Localization

Exchange rates have always been a concern in our language services industry, but with the unprecedented changes in exchange rates globally throughout much of 2008, many Language Services Providers (LSPs) have probably been checking the daily rates of their local currencies more eagerly than ever.

This article analyzes how currency fluctuations affect - one way or another - specifically our industry and how the exchange rates of key local currencies have developed against the euro and the US dollar since the beginning of 2004. It also focuses on the ways in which LSPs are constantly working to increase the value of their services, and by extension limiting the negative effects of currency trends and fluctuations. Full article.

Bosnian and Kazakh on the Localization Map

Besides "traditional" target languages for translation and localization, there is an ever-changing set of "emerging" ones. Two languages that recently made it onto the localization map - and are set to stay there - are Bosnian of southeastern Europe and Kazakh of Central Asia. There are different drivers for the growth of these languages, and each exists in a different context, but they certainly share some issues associated with their rapid development.

This article brings some insights into what is happening with these languages and what caused them to catch the attention of many marketers worldwide. Full article.

A is for Argentina

When asked to name the hot IT outsourcing locations today, most of us wouldn't be pressed too hard to rattle off a list that includes India, Eastern Europe and China. After all, in our technical communication and language services industries, many providers have their production centers located in these countries too. Argentina might be a less obvious answer, but its popularity is growing rapidly, along with the growing reputation regional neighbor Brazil enjoys as part of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies.

This article shows what makes for Argentina's growing popularity as a destination for outsourcing services - not only for the Latin American region but for many leading companies globally. Full article.

Multilingual Computing for the Visually Impaired

Imagine yourself blindfolded (your travel eye shades will do), seated in front of your computer screen, your hands on the keyboard, ready to work. What do you do? This may seem daunting, but today's technologies turn computers into a powerful tool and an indispensable window to the world for millions of visually-impaired people worldwide.

The arrival of computing has had a major impact on how visually-impaired people can live their lives and communicate - among themselves as well as with the outside world - and has extended and enriched their options enormously. Importantly, technology enables blind and visually-impaired people to go to universities, enjoy life-long learning and have jobs previously unimaginable.

This article deals with topics such as what key assistive technologies exist today, the accessibility features in current operating systems, or braille and its use in various languages. It also discusses what helps or hinders making more content available to the visually impaired, including on the web. Full article.

Looking Ahead to Globalization 2020

Compiled by the President and CEO of Idiom Technologies, Inc., Mike Iacobucci, this article provides insights about the industry's future from a diverse group of globalization supply chain partners. After speaking with language service providers (LSPs), technology partners, customers and industry analysts, the author concludes that we continue to see excitement building around the emerging globalization supply chain. Our industry has never seen such collaboration and openness.

Included are opinions of Arturo Quintero from Moravia Worldwide, Chris Grebisz from Welocalize, Melissa Biggs from Sun Microsystems, Inc., Jessica Roland from EMC Corporation, Kirti Vashee from Language Weaver, and Donald A. DePalma from Common Sense Advisory. Full article.

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